With few exceptions, I would posit that we all want to be successful. It’s not often that someone proclaims, “I would love to be a failure!”
Of course, the question is how does one measure success? It’s true that we need to know what race we’re running, but we also have to understand the cold, hard truth that we can’t have it all. No matter how far you lean in, it’s simply impossible.
When does adulthood begin?
Scientists say that, biologically, adulthood doesn’t truly begin until 30, but socially, culturally, and legally, it’s 18. You’re free to leave the nest, make your own decisions (and mistakes), and take control of your life.
I turned 43 in March.
It’s not a milestone birthday by traditional standards — we Americans love numbers that end in fives and zeroes — but if 18 is the age when we become adults, then that means I’ve been a grownup for a full twenty-five years. A quarter-century.
While it often still doesn’t feel like it, I’ve compiled a list of twenty-five things I’ve learned in the past twenty-five years.
“Read 500 pages…every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”
— Warren Buffett
“I don’t have time to read.”
You wouldn’t believe how often I hear this. People say it defensively, but also preemptively. I don’t say anything to them about reading. They announce it when they lay eyes on whatever book is in my hand or on my desk.
The person will continue to fulminate on how busy they are and how there is no possible way to fit reading into their packed calendar. Of course, this often comes immediately after they have just spent a great deal of time raving about the latest tv shows they’ve been bingeing.
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
– Jim Rohn
Why don’t most New Year’s resolutions succeed?
The 2010s was a decade in which the line between rap and other genres became not only blurred, but largely nonexistent. Referred to by some as the “melodic era,” it was no longer a rarity or even a surprise to see a hip-hop artist transition into harmonizing, and while that had certainly been done in the past, it now became de rigueur as Drake, Young Thug, and many others rode that wave to stardom.
At the same time, some dudes stepped onto the scene and began flooding the market with their own music that sounded fresh but at the same time reminiscent of projects that had been released in the mid-’90s. No singing, no theatrics, just grim street tales of drugs and violence delivered over grimy, pounding basslines, creating a “gnarly sound inspired by the slimy criminal underbelly of Buffalo, New York.”
Film adaptations are tricky. How can you boil down 400 or more pages of story, themes, and character development into a two hour film without losing the impact of what was on the page?
Anyone that has had their favorite book turned into a movie knows the feeling of being simultaneously excited and anxious, hopeful and terrified, at what the outcome will be.
Now it’s my turn, as the film adaptation of The Tender Bar, the book that completely changed my life, is set to be released in theaters and on Amazon Prime Video.
Ryan Holiday is my favorite author.
I received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine yesterday.
There’s a YouTube channel called the The Art of Improvement that does those funky illustrated videos to add a visual to written text.
Back in 2019, they asked if they could do the same for my essay “Get the Most Out of Your Books – Be an Active Reader.” I, of course, enthusiastically said yes! It’s a piece of which I’m quite proud, so to have someone not only appreciate it, but build on it in this way is very cool.
The ceremony should serve as the base camp of a mountain, but far too many people treat it like the peak
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 